Job openings rate in October 2008

At 2.2 percent in October, the job openings rate was at the lowest level since February 2004.

Although the job openings rate was little changed at the total nonfarm and total private levels, the rate decreased significantly in October in the construction industry and in the West region. The rate increased significantly in October only in retail trade.

These data are from the BLS Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey. To learn more, see "Job Openings and Labor Turnover: October 2008," (PDF) (HTML) news release USDL 08-1801. These data are seasonally adjusted; data for the most recent month are preliminary. Job openings include only those jobs open on the last business day of the month.